The Social Security Administration (SSA) is finally fixing a problem that it’s largely ignored for years. This could mean a lot fewer denials of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) as well as Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
When the SSA evaluates an SSDI application or determines whether SSDI is to be continued, a major factor is whether the person can do any sort of work, even if it’s not in their previous field. If they’re able to perform any of a large list of occupations used by the SSA, they can be found “not disabled” and therefore no longer eligible for benefits.
Outdated and outsourced jobs
The problem is that the SSA has continued to use a long list of occupations that included jobs that no longer exist or have been outsourced to other countries (where people may, unfortunately, perform them for very little compensation).
Whether the failure to remove these jobs from the reference list, despite the fact that other parts of the federal government used more current lists, may or may not have been because many of these jobs (like cutting out articles from newspapers) require little physical activity, isn’t known for certain.
What is the SSA doing?
This summer, the SSA announced that it will no longer use jobs “that exist in very limited numbers, if at all…to support a ‘not disabled’ finding at the last step in the evaluation process for disability determinations.” It will also no longer consider “occupations where federal courts have questioned supporting evidence of a ‘not disabled’ finding.” This important change is just one of a number recently announced by the SSA that will have important and positive impacts for those who need disability benefits.
Of course, all changes take time to implement. Further, they can always be halted in a post-Biden administration. Therefore, there are no guarantees that these changes will last.
Further, even if these obsolete and outsourced remain off the occupational lists used by the SSA, that doesn’t mean the end of “not disabled” findings. If you believe that such a finding is incorrect, don’t take on the SSA on your own. Having experienced legal guidance can help you get the benefits to which you’re entitled.